Rains cause two deaths and displaced more than 8000

SD. Two persons were drowned, including a 12-year-old boy, as they were carried away by a river and an irrigation canal that were overflowing from the weekend rains which affected a wide area of the country.

In the meantime, the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), maintains alerts in several provinces of the Cibao for possible flooding of rivers, creeks and streams and sudden flash floods.

The persons who died are the young boy, Nasveli Olivares Estrella, who fell into a river in Salcedo, and Bartolome Santos, 45, who drowned when he tried to cross an irrigation canal in the municipality of Nagua.

In the province of Hermanas Mirabal, the rains knocked down an electricity pole and caused damage to the aqueduct of the community of Las Flores and two bridges.

The rains also caused landslides in the mountain areas and depressions in the highway between Salcedo and Montellano.

COE

The report by the COE establishes that there are 8200 persons displaced, 20 communities isolated and 1585 houses affected, among which there were 21 completely destroyed.

The state agency is maintaining an alert in 10 provinces and the National District, as well as for the Atlantic Coast, due to the abnormal waves of 6 to 8 feet. Therefore, they called on operators of small craft from Manzanillo to Cabo Engaño to remain in port and not to go out into the ocean.

Given the possibility of overflowing rivers and flash flooding, the COE ordered a Red Alert for the municipalities of Gaspar Hernandez and Jamao, in the province of Espaillat, as well as for Yasica Arriba and Sabaneta de Yasica in Puerto Plata and for Maria Trinidad Sanchez.

In the meantime, the provinces of Santiago, Duarte, Sanchez Ramirez, Hermanas Mirabal, La Vega and Monsignor Nouel are on yellow alerts and Greater Santo Domingo is on a green alert.

The Ministry of Defense, together with Public Works, the governors of the affected provinces, the Civil Defense and the COE directors, carried out an evaluation in order to prioritize the responses.

Among the measures that they took is the activation of Plan Lightning of the Armed Forces.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Public Works, instructed the director of the COE, general Juan Manuel Mendez, together with a commission from the ministry, to visit the communities of Veragua, Sabaneta de Yasica, Jamao de Norte, Rio San Juan and Maria Trinidad Sanchez, in order to coordinate the actions of assistance and attention to the affected populations.

The report by the COE, says that they sent boats from the Dominican Armada to the areas that were affected and that the Social Plan of the Presidency sent uncooked food to the different governors in order to assist families in the affected communities.

Support

Under instructions from President Danilo Medina, the Social Plan of the Presidency and the Economic Kitchens distributed blankets, mattresses, mosquito nets, sheets and food to those affected by the rains of the last days.

The Minister of Defense, Maximo William Muñoz Delgado, met in Nagua with the other authorities that make up the COE as well as the ayuntamientos of the province in order to coordinate the assistance and support of the communities that were affected.

For his part, the administrator general of the Economic Kitchens, Ramon Rodriguez, reported that last Saturday they supplied 2900 hot food rations to an equal number of persons, whose homes had been affected in La Vega, Nagua and Puerto Plata.

At the same time, the President of the Dominican Federation of Municipal Districts (Fedodim) Pedro Richardson, demanded the urgent intervention of the government in the local governments and their communities which have been flooded by the rains.

He indicated that among other communities that have been flooded, the municipal districts of Las Coles. Barroquito and Agua Santa, where more than 12,000 tareas of rice have been flooded.

He said that the rains have damaged the rural roads and bridges, as well as farm production, so that he called on the ministries of Public Works and Agriculture, as well as the Agriculture Bank to go to the aid of the farmers and the communities affected.

Onamet forecast

The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) reported that the frontal system has left the national territory, locating itself in the Atlantic ocean and leaving scattered clouds that will continue causing light and disbursed rains, becoming moderate on occasion, but with less intensity and frequency than in former days.

The forecast for today is that rains will begin to diminish notably, because of the winds from the East and the local affects towards the northeast, south east and the central mountain regions.

Along the Atlantic Coast the waves will continue to be abnormal with waves from 7 to 9 feet, so that they maintain the small craft warnings and the recommendation is to remain in port. Regarding temperatures, the report says that they will be agreeable and cool.
Advised by the authorities

The entities that make up the Center for Emergency Operations, (COE) called on the citizens to follow the guidelines of the agencies of civil protection, designed to save lives and property. Among the actions that should be taken into account are refraining from crossing rivers, streams and creeks that are presenting great volumes of water. You should maintain contact with the aid agencies for emergency cases, such as flooding of rivers and streams, as well as for landslides.